If you're looking for more Anderson critiques, here are some works I definitely encourage you to check out! Articles and videos about diversity in Wes Anderson films: -- The Eastern Abyss Gazes back at Western hipsters. By Swati Pandey www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oew-pandey10oct10-story.html -- “Black Girl Nerds” SXSW 2018 Review: ‘Isle of Dogs’ by Leonardo Faierman @LeonardoEffect blackgirlnerds.com/sxsw-2018-review-isle-of-dogs/ -- “Vulture” What It’s like to watch Isle of Dogs as a Japanese speaker by EMILY YOSHIDA www.vulture.com/2018/03/what-its-like-to-watch-isle-of-dogs-as-a-japanese-speaker.html -- "Wes Anderson: Reality and Representation” by Amandamaryanna ua-cam.com/video/w-cYsslZLSI/v-deo.html. -- “Wes Anderson Films ranked by a 20-year-old Latino male (pt1)" Zelcher Productions @zelcher20 ua-cam.com/video/gRwHZwZj4iQ/v-deo.html -- “Wes Anderson and the Follies of Modern Orientalism” by Broey Deschanel @DeschanelBroey ua-cam.com/video/Rw0b4EXgtvs/v-deo.html -- ‘Isle of Dogs’ Backlash: Wes Anderson Criticized for Racial Stereotypes and ‘Marginalizing Japanese Culture’ by Zack Sharf @zsharf www.indiewire.com/2018/03/isle-of-dogs-racism-japanese-stereotypes-wes-anderson-1201942811/
FUN FACT! When WB flubbed the Batman movie franchise in the 80s (90s?) and had no clue where to go next, I contacted those a-holes and told them a FLAWLESS PLAN: "YOU HAND BATMAN OVER to.....ALL the most interesting filmmakers, DUH, to do as they see fit, in their own vision!" WOODY ALLEN'S BATMAN! QUENTIN TARANTINO's BATMAN! SCORCESE's BATMAN! WES ANDERSON'S BATMAN! GUY MADDIN's BATMAN!! And so on. (And you'd have to do SOME hovering, to make sure they don't all show the origin story etc.) They could put out 3 or 4 of these PER YEAR, and ppl will pay to see EACH ONE, as there will be no diminishing returns, duh! (No matter how bad the last one is, the next one is by a totally different creative team!) WB DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME....and lost a few billion cash. But now with the MCU MULTI-VERSE.....they should really exploit this idea of taking iconic superheroes and giving them to MULTIPLE creative teams.
As a black teenage girl, I couldn't relate to the affluence of Wes' characters, but I related to their isolation and the pressure of living in the shadow of your accomplishments
As a white girl born to two working class parents who wanted to have some wealth and a farther who certainly tried with his security business, I can more closely relate to Fantastc Mr. Fox over any of Wes’ other films, but I wouldn’t say I needed that affluence to understand the characters. Admittedly, I’ve only seen Fantastic Mr. Fox and watched it as a child, but based on what I’ve seen of the other films there are fascists I can relate to. However, that’s in part because of my father’s aforementioned security business that both my parents helped out with when I was younger - leading to them being something absent in those earlier years of my childhood. The better the business was doing, the less they were around - even if my mother and sometimes my farther still worked at home. They still have the security business going - which has been beneficial in some cases - but they also have other jobs. Even with this “family” business, we’re still working class because the business never did well and even if it did, it’s become harder and harder to be middle class - let alone upper class. Now the big thing to note in Wes’ films is a lot of people won’t understand the upper class families represented in his films in regards to wealth because so little of the world is upper or even middle class now, but they can still relate to the turmoil that may come with money and the difficult family dynamics because there’s lower class people trying to pretend they aren’t lower class and ruining their life and the lives of those that rely on them, there’s lower class people who are genuinely horrible people who think they’re everything and wealth isn’t the only thing that can inflate that ego, and there’s families that have been torn apart because of neglectful parenting and financial struggles. While none of us can relate to the affluence of Wes’ characters I think that’s part of the reason he makes them have some high level of affluence. By initially making them unrelatable in a very basic sense - class - we can focus in on the factors that are actually important, are relatable, and can objectively be looked at because that initial bias has been removed. We can also understand how this affluence has impacted the characters lives through looking at what we can relate to. Huh. Apologies for that whole rant. My initial point was going to be that most people won’t be able to relate to the affluence of Wes’ characters because most people aren’t upper class or even middle class, so you don’t necessarily have to be part of a minority to be lower class, but I’m so glad it wasn’t because this turned into a somewhat cohesive breakdown of why that level of unrelatability is important, and I felt a lot better by the end of it. Also apologies if any of my statements come off as rude. I’ve just sort of gotten tired of the narrative that race=class because that isn’t really true anymore. I’m not going to pretend it’s not true for upper and middle class - in part because I genuinely don’t know - but I do know it’s not true - at least not entirely - for lower class.
It’s always fun to hear your thoughts on movies. A small nitpick, that bears no weight really, Fantastic Mr Fox is not a claymation film. It’s a stop motion film. Claymation is a subgenre of stop motion animation where everything/the characters are made of clay. (Like Wallace and Gromit). The techniuqe is the same, so the motion feels the same. Since the puppets of Mr Fox are not made of clay, it’s not a claymation.
Just to make the waters clearer, Ms. Fish is not the girl from MRK - it's Kara Hayward That being said, all you fishes look the same to me. Sincerely, a cat.
I know other Anderson films get more critical attention, but my favorites are Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. I just find them so delightful, while still conveying melancholy underneath the farcical antics.
The unsung genius of the suicide scene is the sound design. You don't actually see the cut, but the sound of it puts you on edge before you even see the blood.
As a black teenager who'd grown up in predominantly white suburbs, The Royal Tenenbaums made it clear to me that Wes Anderson wasn't talking to me and likely wouldn't have anything interesting to say even if he was. I decided to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox because it was based on a Roald Dahl work and I love stop motion animation, and I walked away thoroughly in love. But as someone who most closely identified with Kristofferson, it was obvious that Anderson still wasn't talking to me.
Hi, Jenn. Can't you relate to films without blacks? I'm hispanic and working class, my parents divorced when I was 5 and he left town so I can relate to Wes' movies despite the lack of latinos in it. It's an honest question, I'm from Argentina and there are barely any black folks around here. I feel that we can share class/family struggles irrespective of race.
To sebastians point, can you really not relate with a character unless they are the same race and financial status as you? Cant you relate to a character through the story, their arc, and the emotions they feel rather than feeling excluded because the actor happens to be a different color than you? Just seems wild to dismiss a work as “not talking to you” because you want the actors to be black. That is, dare I say, kinda racist
@@yungoldman2823 no it isn't racist to want to see our stories, we have experiences worth seeing. you assumed that it's just 'wanting the actors to be black' or that this person 'can't relate to someone who isn't the same race or financial status' are really disingenuous and uncharitable takes on what they said. like, they clearly didn't say either of those things. they are clearly talking about stories and narratives which is a fair thing to want. centering your own pov on poc wanting self-actualized narratives when Hollywood and media are saturated with the white perspective or saying that that should be enough - I dare say racist. color blindness doesn't make you not racist, it means you're ignoring the fact that others move through the world differently.
@@Lisa-dv1xn that is fair, but frankly, is any Marvel movie speaking to you either? Were you bitten by a radioactive spider and can now shoot web from your hands? No? Then why watch Spiderman? Should I ignore any movie about the class struggle of POC because it doesn't speak to me and my experiences personally? It seems incredibly shortsighted to dismiss a movie because of preconceptions based on race and social status of the protagonists.
It also helps him work because a lot more people are willing to work for him, and trust his often-unusual directions on the basis that it will end up working once you see the edit.
@@UnreasonableOpinions Yeah, there’s generally two ways that an unconventional director can get across their more confusing ideas. It’s either a “trust me, you’ll like it” situation or a “you’ll do what I tell you” situation. And Anderson, fortunately, is more often the former than the latter.
With the stillness-representing-wealth motif, I think it’s a wonderful detail that FMF’s long tracking shots showing the other animals working together are also still. Almost a wealth of a different kind, the worth of being part of a community even when they’re struggling.
I really appreciate the ending note touching on Anderson's lack of diversity. As a black dude; the stylistically imposed distance and picture-perfect staging/framing, when combined with the lack of demographic representation had made me feel like his movies were just another "blissfully ignorant caucasian adventure", and I found myself rather uninterested to give them a try - although after watching this I definitely will! Thanks, Maggie
Oh good, yes I really did not want this to come off as straight praise bc that narrow POV is such a part of his work (Sophia Coppola is similar) -- worth discussing as filmmakers but not to be consumed uncritically in this regard !!!
@@MaggieMaeFish and linking the other critiques was really cool too, I watched Amandamaryanna's video and realized half way through that I have watched and loved her videos at least once before! Had to drop a sub :)
You should learn to allow yourself to like things because you like them and to watch movies even if people like you aren’t in it, tbh I’ll rather no diversity than forced diversity
The title of The Royal Tenenbaums is also a perfect portrayal of the theme. The patriarch's name is Royal, so all the other family members are Royal's Tenenbaums, but in the way you would name a sports team like the Oakland Raiders. Love that.
as a working class white teen, i watched the RT on repeat. it was an aesthetic and a lifestyle i romanticized at the time and seeing the characters depicted as isolated and depressed as i was helped reframe my ideas of wealth and what is enviable.
The first Wes Anderson movie I had ever seen was Fantastic Mr. Fox. I was like 12 years old and I saw the trailer for it on TV. I was already super into animated films - Nightmare Before Christmas was my favorite movie. The commercials made no sense, I didn't read the book or Roald Dahl growing up. I didn't know what the movie was about but it looked weird so I wanted to watch it. I loved it because I loved weird movies. But I watched it with my cousins and they didn't get it. I'm so used to watching characters that have nothing to do with me or my life and enjoying the film for the story telling. But I can't watch many of Wes Anderson's movies because of how different they are to my life. It's more like walking through an art museum than relating to a person
One thing I always felt about his work. The stillness, the surreal and highly stylised way these stories are framed I never took literally but as an illustration about how we tend to mythologize certain events in our lives. They have the quality of fables. So it feels like unreliable narration in a way, and seeing it with that lens makes the characters more relatable even if I can't directly relate to their experiences.
One thing I always appreciate about your reviews are how honest you are about your likes and dislikes while still providing excellent analysis without the bias. I know you love the Royal Tenenbaums but your study of Anderson's choices when it comes to montage/tracking shots is incredibly well-informed and gives me a deeper appreciation for the artistry as well. On a similar note, I'm also someone who's paying out of my ass for college rn and this video was the perfect break from tuition stress. Thank you!
There was a great interview with Luke Wilson that came with the Criterion where he said his mom didn’t like his look of sunglasses and heavy hair because you couldn’t see his face, and Luke Wilson said that that was kind of the point. It makes that scene where he takes off all these disguises so much more impactful. Also yes Fantasic Mr, Fox is the best Wes Anderson and every time I watch it I love it more. The film is so packed full of these tiny moments that don’t affect the plot so much but mean so much for the characters like the scene where Ash plays with the toy train with Kristofferson after realizing how cruel he’d been or the scene where Mrs. Fox says she should’ve never married Mr. Fox, which in any other movie would be the scene where the characters split up but here it’s just a statement of fact and they remain together anyway. This doesn’t have so much to do with what you’re talking about but I can’t help it when talking about this movie. Also for a film about an affluent family having your main character be named Royal Tenenbaum and having the title refer to all the characters as THE Royal Tenenbaums would seem on the nose but it somehow doesn’t seem so obvious when watching. The film as a whole is interesting because it recognizes the dysfunction found within these families which seem like old fashioned ideas like the Thomas Sutpens or Compsons found in William Faulkner, even though they’re still very much around.
Great video... and I must be some kind of oddball for The Darjeeling Limited to be one of my favourite Anderson flicks. I only learned that it was most people's least favourite in the last few years.
The Darjeeling Limited is not only my favorite Wes Anderson movie but one of my favorite movies hands down. It's beautiful and devastating and empowering. I don't understand the hate.
I do appreciate the last part about being unable to engage with his films when you're not in the primary presented demographic in his films. The closest I got was a character whose name and personality were summed up by the film as "Zero", which isn't exactly grounds for automatic attachment.
I feel like The Darjeeling Limited always gets short shrift, though I understand why not that many people like it. The same way that Maggie first saw Fantastic Mr. Fox at a formative and impactful time in her life, I first saw Darjeeling during a very tense period in my relationships with my two brothers and my dad. I think, as many (including many here) have pointed out, Wes Anderson's work reaches me because I'm in (or at least on the periphery of) his narrow demographic.
Yeah, I love The Darjeeling Limited. I think it really speaks to the relationship between brothers in such a real way. If you don't have that sort of relationship you probably won't appreciate it as much.
Goddammit, I love Wes Anderson. My first film of his was The Life Aquatic and it remains my favorite movie of all time to this day. It hit me at the perfect time with a sense of humor I had never encountered before and I've been laughing differently ever since.
There's something I just noticed. Might not be enough to think of it as a pattern, but it caught my eye: Stillness is unnatural to you. It's also a marker of privilege. There was also a diatribe against stillness in your Cats video. Stillness as a side effect of oppression. I don't know what to make of this. I'm just savoring the spoonful of endorphins I got from finding a pattern.
Color me surprised when you were describing going to Chicago on the Amtrak as a kid - I lived in Elgin years ago and my family did this all the time. We would get sodas at the store and a book of crosswords and logic puzzles to pass the time on the train. We even had a “favorite” patron of the Amtrak train as, although he seemed harmless and kept to himself, he also *only* wore men’s one-piece thermal long underwear. All the time.
I love it when camerawork complements the storytelling well. I'm not all into auteur theory but it can distinguish good from bad direction or editing. And thus be the mark of certain geniuses who are especially good at that.
I would also recommend listening to bechdalcast's royal tenenbaums episode. It's a feminist podcast about the bechdal test and I think it has a great discussion about the movie and wes Anderson's world.
I have very personal relationships to Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom, for similar reasons. I always feel awkward talking about sincere analysis and love for Wes Anderson, whose criticisms and satires are oft deserved and justified, but there’s always also a lot of good stuff to unpack.
I love the Fantastic Mr. Fox! The soundtrack was brilliant! I love the little details, like the fact that the toast eating scene was George Clooney actually devouring a plate of toast! I’ve always loved the general movement (or stillness) of Wes Anderson films, but your analysis has made me want to go back and have a movie marathon! I almost forgot how much I enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel!!
I love how much I agree with you here, even when I disagree on what my favorite Pre- and Post- Roald Dahl Anderson films are (Darjeeling and Moonrise Kingdom). He has such a rich catalogue of films which seem to speak to and answer each other.
Anderson's films shaped my adolescence, too. So much so that I've got almost a full sleeve of tattoos from his films. My Margot Tenenbaum tattoo is my favorite. 😆 But seriously, are you and Jared really siblings!? I must know!
Like so many others, this was helped me understand the appeal of Wes Anderson when I’ve never been able to finish one of his movies myself! It also made me realize, “I heart Huckabees” was probably the equivalent for me at an impressionable crossroads in my life?
Honestly I think you're my favorite video essayist, and I've watched... Christ, probably Too Many video essays lmao They always have an incredibly earnest and intimate quality to the performance and script, and are always very concise and well-phrased. I never get lost or feel left out or disconnected while watching them. Excellent work, looking forward to more stuff!
One thing I wanna say because I'm so sick of people fighting for something that doesn't make sense and in the wrong context, As a black individual I never once focused on the "diversity" of his cast or not because its not about that. Its about the characters not their skin color. Trying to force diversity into everything isn't how we are going to get diversity instead, we should be finding those diverse voices ourselves and supporting them. Throwing a black character or 2 into a story isn't going to make it diverse, especially if the person directing doesn't share those same experiences anyway. Diversity isn't just anybody's story to tell
Yeah, the thing I find off-putting about so many comments along those lines is, like, do you only engage with art that's "for you?" Is it only art if it shows you your reflection? More people need to make an effort to see themselves in someone's work; that's where you find the sublime -- they were talking to you the whole time. Edit: And yeah, the point of diversity shouldn't be that Wes Anderson starts making all his characters black, it should be to get people to know who people like Terence Nance or Dee Rees even are, and then find the next one.
@@andrewteague114 I think the argument often comes from a more complicated place than that. It isn’t so much a matter of only being able to engage with something if it’s a reflection of yourself as it is not wanting to be left out. Marginalized audiences have, more often or not, either been FORCED to engage with art that wasn’t “for them” all their lives, or have been forced to ONLY engage with art that’s “for them”. Marginalized voices are, well, marginalized, and it’s very troubling to have to either squint at a work to see yourself in it, or reside yourself to pigeonholing your cinematic palate. Take the infamous Bechdel Test for one. It wasn’t created as a means of determining whether a movie was “feminist” or not, or even as a test with infallible parameters. (If that were the case, Debbie Does Dallas and Attack of the 50 ft. Cheerleader would be hailed as high feminist art). Rather, it was an indictment of how auxiliary women are still treated in the film industry. Similarly, there’s already a litany of examples historically of communities of color very deeply engaging with works that maybe weren’t made with them in mind as audiences. A good example is the large role that eastern art, like kung fu movies or anime have played in poor black communities. Who’s to say that they can’t also hope or expect similar verisimilitude in a Wes Anderson movie, and be disappointed when it isn’t there? And while, yeah, maybe just putting a bunch of characters of color into a work isn’t the same thing as representing them properly, (hello Darjeeling Limited) I also don’t think that it’s healthy to respond to such calls for diversity with hostility.
Yes! Wes's "breakout" moments are my favorites - I love when the characters finally stop talking and decieving and get physcial. Cops chasing Dignan through Hinkley Cold Storage, Richie Bathroom scene, the fight with mace on the Darjeeling Limited, Chas trying to fight Eli Cash after the car crash, the helicopter crash in The Life Aquatic. I love the dialouge, but the most important moments for me are when they stop talking.
I loved this essay so much. Thank you for putting it in the world. --I just realized putting really is spelled with two t's and I don't know why this disconcerts me. I digress... The style behind Darjeeling LImited was what really got me into Wes Anderson - probably due to my frayed relation with my younger brother, but the Royal Tenenbaums really drove it home. I feel like rewatching every one of his movies now
Up there as a personal favorite of the essays you've done. I'm still in that teenage mindset of escape onto bigger things personally. I don't know if it's entirely comparable to your teen years, but I definitely sympathize with watching movies in the basement quite a bit. Even if that's not all the details. Also, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a childhood classic for me. I still remember seeing those trailers in the 2nd grade making me excited to watch it. Still consider it a close personal favorite of mine.
Wes Anderson is my favourite Filmmaker too. I was first fascinated by his visual style, and then further drawn in by all the rest. My favourite movie of his is "Life Aquatic". A movie about a person with many flaws but one great passion which redeems him... his fascination with aquatic life which he can so brilliantly convey. This homage to Jacques Cousteau hit home for me. I grew up watching his documentaries, which awoke a love for exploration and science. I have to admit that the "The Royal Tenenbaums", and "Fantastic Mr Fox!" are not at the top of my list of Wes Anderson's movies, but your presentation about them has moved me to give them another look.
Don't know if you seen it, but The Mysterious Benedict Society has got some decent Wes Anderson and Tim Burton vibes. There's also a mini-Maggie in Emmy DeOliveira
Aw man this is a really neat look at Wes Anderson's filmography and how it deepens/reinforces the movies' themes and how they've subtly changed through the years and WAIT THAT WAS JARED GILMAN??
Thank you for encapsulating why I love Wes Anderson so perfectly haha. Also didn't realize I wasn't the only one who doesn't like Darjeeling that much. Asteroid City is by far my favorite and my favorite film of all time.
I adore Wes Anderson. Royal Tenenbaums has always been one of my absolutely favorite movies, as well as GBH and Moonrise. I think a lot of people are put off by his style, but I love that his films never let you forget that you are watching a film. The obviously skewed/forced perspectives when he pans to something in the distance, or scenes like the janky and almost low-effort chase scene in GBH. The practical effects often charmingly perfunctory, and combined with his character writing, his films just illustrate the joy of making movies while also producing incredible results. His work has aged well, and I can't really say that about a lot of writer/directors I've liked throughout my life.
That Panasonic phone hung in our kitchen for decades. Seeing it, along with the critique of a depiction of an unhappy family, has made me remember why I enjoy my hermitage.
I always found The Darjeeling Limited to be one of my favorites, maybe because of train travel, i grew up riding the Amtrak from Portland to Minot every summer by myself, i rode other routes as well that were long distance, i think if you traveled by train a lot, one might appreciate the movie more, maybe its just bringing back nostalgia for me.
I watched my first Wes Anderson film this year - The Great Budapest Hotel. It was perfect. I couldn't have wanted for anything else. Wes Anderson is an (yes, the dreaded word) auteur.
Love it. Though I will say for me as a huge Wes fan, Darjeeling Limited is in my top 3 where as FMF is in my bottom 3. I think Wes is great at showing that people don't really change. We are who we are, but realistically we can all find an understanding of each other's differences and hopefully that appreciation will make us better people. Fantastic Mr Fox is a bit to story by numbers character arc and feels like the style is parodying his previous movies cinematography(which it is because he didn't direct the scenes as much as just approve them afterwards).
@Isabella Woods That's seems like a racist view of the movie. The Indian characters were definitely not props. And they have a problem with Anglo characters visiting another country?
@Isabella Woods @Isabella Woods I don't know why that's funny. It's really a pretty ignorant take. One of Wes Andersons biggest influence is Satyajit Ray, and it's clear he has a deep respect for Indian culture. It seemed to me he had a personal story of family to tell, and India was the back drop. So yeah, the Indian characters were not at the fore front, but they were far from props or caricatures, such as in Sofia Coppolas Lost in Translation. I thought he showed reverence towards the culture as an outsider without arrogantly assuming to be able to write authentic Indian experiences.
@Isabella Woods I mean, what white writer can write for non-white characters in a way that is rooted in a culture they don't come from? None *should* be expected to... buut ykno, euro-centrism and all. Either way, the film is focused on three silly, wealthy white tourists and the perspective matches that. I get the feeling that he didn't try to focus on the Indian people in it because, well, how could he? Further, what is the "proper" way to write for people from another background? Who arbitrates what is proper? Who speaks for Indians? Rhetorical, one way is you hire writers from that background... but then it wouldn't be about those brothers, it would be, idk, about somewhat rural Indians in the service industry dealing with entitled Americans. Another way to handle it is to not have any ethnicities in mind when writing characters, hire whoever is best for the role (disregarding casting biases entrenching the industry). The Indian characters in Darjeeling with speaking roles just behave, well, like people. EG: you brought a snake on my train, get off of my train. That is imo the only appropriate way for one to write for people of different backgrounds (Darjeeling credits three writers): don't try, because you can't. That said, I agree there are some issues with the representations in Darjeeling as far as background, but sort of middling, paltry even, problems - more knowingly-negligent because it is more hurtful or damaging to pretend you can represent people from another culture (insert Apu as an extreme example). Also worth remembering that it's usually white western people who complain about these things, rather than the people represented. Often people of the group can enjoy the representations if they're not outright hurtful, because it's better to be seen than ignored, especially if the representation is less as "the Indian characters" and more as, say "a train conductor." Sure, it's not perfect, but it's something. source: grew up as a white minority. that's about it lol, definitely biased opinions. thanks for the pleasant, measured responses :) oh oh quick edit, I would argue that every character, but for the brothers, is used as a prop - including their mother.
Gonna be real, this video convinced me to watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox and uh... that movie is not only stunningly visually beautiful, it's full of heart and love and warmth and silliness and I love it. It's phenomenal. Thanks Maggie!
This is the first video you've made that I find myself unable to relate to, on account of finding everything about Wes Anderson's movies incredibly off-putting. That being said, you're just so good at what you do that I still found it an informative and highly entertaining watch. I guess what I'm saying is...I heard commenting is good for analytics, so I figured I should express my enjoyment in one. Thanks for all the work you share with us!
I remember when fantastic Mr. Fox came out when I was younger and I adored it, but my dad (who has always had a love hate relationship with Wes Anderson films) was like....."you're 12 if you like this, thats cool.....but why?" And I could never give an answer other than "it's charming!" You have out exactly what I always wanted to tell my dad into words. This story is touching, the characters are flawed but you love them anyway, these animated clay and fur covered beautifully sculpted blobs feel more in line with real life and the nature of family than most films I've ever seen. It also to me is one of those films that says "people (or in this case, animals) aren't perfect, but they can be good" which as an idealist is always something that has resonated with me. You touching on the lack of the diversity is also really good. I'm a girl who will be represented in appearance frequently on screen. It's always important to acknowledge that's not the reality for everyone, and why it should be
What's the name of the music or the band you used in this vid's chapter break at 14:42? And great vid! Royal Tannenbaums is forever my favorite Anderson film.
Really enjoyed this! You caught a ton of stuff that I never picked up even after multiple viewings. I saw the premiere of The French Dispatch at Cannes and will be excited to hear what you think of it when it’s released in the US.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
If you're looking for more Anderson critiques, here are some works I definitely encourage you to check out!
Articles and videos about diversity in Wes Anderson films:
-- The Eastern Abyss Gazes back at Western hipsters. By Swati Pandey
www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oew-pandey10oct10-story.html
-- “Black Girl Nerds” SXSW 2018 Review: ‘Isle of Dogs’ by Leonardo Faierman @LeonardoEffect
blackgirlnerds.com/sxsw-2018-review-isle-of-dogs/
-- “Vulture” What It’s like to watch Isle of Dogs as a Japanese speaker by EMILY YOSHIDA
www.vulture.com/2018/03/what-its-like-to-watch-isle-of-dogs-as-a-japanese-speaker.html
-- "Wes Anderson: Reality and Representation” by Amandamaryanna
ua-cam.com/video/w-cYsslZLSI/v-deo.html.
-- “Wes Anderson Films ranked by a 20-year-old Latino male (pt1)" Zelcher Productions @zelcher20
ua-cam.com/video/gRwHZwZj4iQ/v-deo.html
-- “Wes Anderson and the Follies of Modern Orientalism” by Broey Deschanel @DeschanelBroey
ua-cam.com/video/Rw0b4EXgtvs/v-deo.html
-- ‘Isle of Dogs’ Backlash: Wes Anderson Criticized for Racial Stereotypes and ‘Marginalizing Japanese Culture’ by Zack Sharf @zsharf
www.indiewire.com/2018/03/isle-of-dogs-racism-japanese-stereotypes-wes-anderson-1201942811/
How did yo manage to get Jared Gilman to be in your vid?? lol! That was awesome.
FUN FACT!
When WB flubbed the Batman movie franchise in the 80s (90s?) and had no clue where to go next, I contacted those a-holes and told them a FLAWLESS PLAN:
"YOU HAND BATMAN OVER to.....ALL the most interesting filmmakers, DUH, to do as they see fit, in their own vision!"
WOODY ALLEN'S BATMAN!
QUENTIN TARANTINO's BATMAN!
SCORCESE's BATMAN!
WES ANDERSON'S BATMAN!
GUY MADDIN's BATMAN!!
And so on. (And you'd have to do SOME hovering, to make sure they don't all show the origin story etc.)
They could put out 3 or 4 of these PER YEAR, and ppl will pay to see EACH ONE, as there will be no diminishing returns, duh! (No matter how bad the last one is, the next one is by a totally different creative team!)
WB DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME....and lost a few billion cash.
But now with the MCU MULTI-VERSE.....they should really exploit this idea of taking iconic superheroes and giving them to MULTIPLE creative teams.
I really enjoyed your analysis! Liked and subscribed! Looking forward to watching more of your content 🙂
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
"Can we read [your suicide note]?"
"I don't think so."
"Is it dark?"
"Of course it's dark. It's a suicide note."
Ben Stiller really brings something special to that role that I don't know other actors could quite replicate.
an even funnier detail- instead of asking if they can read it, ben stiller actually asks luke wilson to PARAPHRASE his suicide note.
As a black teenage girl, I couldn't relate to the affluence of Wes' characters, but I related to their isolation and the pressure of living in the shadow of your accomplishments
Lol as a white girl born in a Mediterranean town to a working class family I COULDNT relate either (and still cant, in my 30s)
It's not all about can you relate or not
@@dnlmrkhvsk well, sometimes it is.
@@dnlmrkhvsk "WELL AHK-CHOO-ALLY"
As a white girl born to two working class parents who wanted to have some wealth and a farther who certainly tried with his security business, I can more closely relate to Fantastc Mr. Fox over any of Wes’ other films, but I wouldn’t say I needed that affluence to understand the characters. Admittedly, I’ve only seen Fantastic Mr. Fox and watched it as a child, but based on what I’ve seen of the other films there are fascists I can relate to. However, that’s in part because of my father’s aforementioned security business that both my parents helped out with when I was younger - leading to them being something absent in those earlier years of my childhood. The better the business was doing, the less they were around - even if my mother and sometimes my farther still worked at home. They still have the security business going - which has been beneficial in some cases - but they also have other jobs. Even with this “family” business, we’re still working class because the business never did well and even if it did, it’s become harder and harder to be middle class - let alone upper class. Now the big thing to note in Wes’ films is a lot of people won’t understand the upper class families represented in his films in regards to wealth because so little of the world is upper or even middle class now, but they can still relate to the turmoil that may come with money and the difficult family dynamics because there’s lower class people trying to pretend they aren’t lower class and ruining their life and the lives of those that rely on them, there’s lower class people who are genuinely horrible people who think they’re everything and wealth isn’t the only thing that can inflate that ego, and there’s families that have been torn apart because of neglectful parenting and financial struggles. While none of us can relate to the affluence of Wes’ characters I think that’s part of the reason he makes them have some high level of affluence. By initially making them unrelatable in a very basic sense - class - we can focus in on the factors that are actually important, are relatable, and can objectively be looked at because that initial bias has been removed. We can also understand how this affluence has impacted the characters lives through looking at what we can relate to.
Huh. Apologies for that whole rant. My initial point was going to be that most people won’t be able to relate to the affluence of Wes’ characters because most people aren’t upper class or even middle class, so you don’t necessarily have to be part of a minority to be lower class, but I’m so glad it wasn’t because this turned into a somewhat cohesive breakdown of why that level of unrelatability is important, and I felt a lot better by the end of it. Also apologies if any of my statements come off as rude. I’ve just sort of gotten tired of the narrative that race=class because that isn’t really true anymore. I’m not going to pretend it’s not true for upper and middle class - in part because I genuinely don’t know - but I do know it’s not true - at least not entirely - for lower class.
Its a crying shame that Anderson never directed A Series of Unfortunate Events film
my younger self’s mind is blown
Lol I’ve been rewatching the Netflix series and had this exact thought.
well, if u watch the netflix show its pretty clear that it takes a lot of visual cues from his movies' filmmaking style and art direction
@@casir.7407 Tim Burton as well
@@casir.7407 I know but it would be good to see if Wes was at the helm as a whole
I will forever argue that Mr. Fox is the most Clooney character Clooney ever had the opportunity to Clooney.
It's exactly like Bojack Horseman
And I think Hernan from Rushmore is Bill Murray’s most Bill Murray-est character ever. Anderson brings out the best in his actors.
"They're visually alone and also alone alone." I have never heard a line describe my mood then that.
Glad to see you have also excellent taste in other essayists. Yet another great quality you have amongst many other talents.
Oh hey a content creator I like commenting on a video of a content creator I like. Yay!!!
It’s always fun to hear your thoughts on movies. A small nitpick, that bears no weight really, Fantastic Mr Fox is not a claymation film. It’s a stop motion film. Claymation is a subgenre of stop motion animation where everything/the characters are made of clay. (Like Wallace and Gromit). The techniuqe is the same, so the motion feels the same. Since the puppets of Mr Fox are not made of clay, it’s not a claymation.
one of these days we’ll have an actual phone conversation
Oh it's moonrise kingdom kid! U were great in that movie btw. (Are u and Maggie siblings forreal?)
@@tai9705 Gilman: Fish-- must be some kind of connection.
Yooo u fr fr??
@@tai9705 I mean their last names are Fish and Gilman they have to be at the very least cousins.
Just to make the waters clearer, Ms. Fish is not the girl from MRK - it's Kara Hayward
That being said, all you fishes look the same to me. Sincerely, a cat.
I know other Anderson films get more critical attention, but my favorites are Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. I just find them so delightful, while still conveying melancholy underneath the farcical antics.
Moonrise Kingdom is so genuine in a lot of ways.
Moonrise Kingdom was actually my first Wes Anderson film and it made me fall in love with him.
I love both of those movies too! Moonrise Kingdom is my favorite.
Grand Budapest is one of my favourite films of all time, the visuals are stunning and its humour is so deliciously dry.
I feel like TGBH is the most lauded after TRT -- it definitely seems to be the one most non-hipsters have seen
Okay, was that actually Jared Gilman from Moonrise Kingdom popping in??
Why is no one talking about it in the comments??
It is him! His Twitter is linked in the description box.
God damn it I love Wes Anderson.
I'm starting to think I may be white.
Loll
The unsung genius of the suicide scene is the sound design. You don't actually see the cut, but the sound of it puts you on edge before you even see the blood.
As a black teenager who'd grown up in predominantly white suburbs, The Royal Tenenbaums made it clear to me that Wes Anderson wasn't talking to me and likely wouldn't have anything interesting to say even if he was. I decided to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox because it was based on a Roald Dahl work and I love stop motion animation, and I walked away thoroughly in love. But as someone who most closely identified with Kristofferson, it was obvious that Anderson still wasn't talking to me.
Hi, Jenn. Can't you relate to films without blacks? I'm hispanic and working class, my parents divorced when I was 5 and he left town so I can relate to Wes' movies despite the lack of latinos in it. It's an honest question, I'm from Argentina and there are barely any black folks around here. I feel that we can share class/family struggles irrespective of race.
I can relate to Kristofferson and Ash
To sebastians point, can you really not relate with a character unless they are the same race and financial status as you? Cant you relate to a character through the story, their arc, and the emotions they feel rather than feeling excluded because the actor happens to be a different color than you? Just seems wild to dismiss a work as “not talking to you” because you want the actors to be black. That is, dare I say, kinda racist
@@yungoldman2823 no it isn't racist to want to see our stories, we have experiences worth seeing.
you assumed that it's just 'wanting the actors to be black' or that this person 'can't relate to someone who isn't the same race or financial status' are really disingenuous and uncharitable takes on what they said. like, they clearly didn't say either of those things. they are clearly talking about stories and narratives which is a fair thing to want.
centering your own pov on poc wanting self-actualized narratives when Hollywood and media are saturated with the white perspective or saying that that should be enough - I dare say racist. color blindness doesn't make you not racist, it means you're ignoring the fact that others move through the world differently.
@@Lisa-dv1xn that is fair, but frankly, is any Marvel movie speaking to you either? Were you bitten by a radioactive spider and can now shoot web from your hands? No? Then why watch Spiderman? Should I ignore any movie about the class struggle of POC because it doesn't speak to me and my experiences personally? It seems incredibly shortsighted to dismiss a movie because of preconceptions based on race and social status of the protagonists.
It's so nice when an exacting director is also not a Kubrick-ian type
I love Wes Anderson because he's not a prick to his cast and crew.
I think Wes Anderson’s visual-style (especially symmetrical shots) and stoic characters are very Kubrickian LOL
Cégalo yeah but he (as far as we know) isn’t a piece of shot to work with, like Kubrick is
It also helps him work because a lot more people are willing to work for him, and trust his often-unusual directions on the basis that it will end up working once you see the edit.
@@UnreasonableOpinions Yeah, there’s generally two ways that an unconventional director can get across their more confusing ideas.
It’s either a “trust me, you’ll like it” situation or a “you’ll do what I tell you” situation. And Anderson, fortunately, is more often the former than the latter.
With the stillness-representing-wealth motif, I think it’s a wonderful detail that FMF’s long tracking shots showing the other animals working together are also still. Almost a wealth of a different kind, the worth of being part of a community even when they’re struggling.
Incredible as always!
Indeed
I know you!
I really appreciate the ending note touching on Anderson's lack of diversity. As a black dude; the stylistically imposed distance and picture-perfect staging/framing, when combined with the lack of demographic representation had made me feel like his movies were just another "blissfully ignorant caucasian adventure", and I found myself rather uninterested to give them a try - although after watching this I definitely will! Thanks, Maggie
Oh good, yes I really did not want this to come off as straight praise bc that narrow POV is such a part of his work (Sophia Coppola is similar) -- worth discussing as filmmakers but not to be consumed uncritically in this regard !!!
@@MaggieMaeFish and linking the other critiques was really cool too, I watched Amandamaryanna's video and realized half way through that I have watched and loved her videos at least once before! Had to drop a sub :)
You should learn to allow yourself to like things because you like them and to watch movies even if people like you aren’t in it, tbh I’ll rather no diversity than forced diversity
@@fufydelu1678 hahaha ok
Wes Anderson is such a great director
The title of The Royal Tenenbaums is also a perfect portrayal of the theme. The patriarch's name is Royal, so all the other family members are Royal's Tenenbaums, but in the way you would name a sports team like the Oakland Raiders. Love that.
as a working class white teen, i watched the RT on repeat. it was an aesthetic and a lifestyle i romanticized at the time and seeing the characters depicted as isolated and depressed as i was helped reframe my ideas of wealth and what is enviable.
> References Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest"
> Uses clip from Spiderman 2
Classic Fish.
Honestly
*chefs kiss*
The first Wes Anderson movie I had ever seen was Fantastic Mr. Fox. I was like 12 years old and I saw the trailer for it on TV. I was already super into animated films - Nightmare Before Christmas was my favorite movie. The commercials made no sense, I didn't read the book or Roald Dahl growing up. I didn't know what the movie was about but it looked weird so I wanted to watch it. I loved it because I loved weird movies. But I watched it with my cousins and they didn't get it. I'm so used to watching characters that have nothing to do with me or my life and enjoying the film for the story telling. But I can't watch many of Wes Anderson's movies because of how different they are to my life. It's more like walking through an art museum than relating to a person
One thing I always felt about his work. The stillness, the surreal and highly stylised way these stories are framed I never took literally but as an illustration about how we tend to mythologize certain events in our lives. They have the quality of fables. So it feels like unreliable narration in a way, and seeing it with that lens makes the characters more relatable even if I can't directly relate to their experiences.
Having 2 siblings and a dead dad who casts a long shadow over my life, Darjeeling limited is by far my favourite Wes Anderson
One thing I always appreciate about your reviews are how honest you are about your likes and dislikes while still providing excellent analysis without the bias. I know you love the Royal Tenenbaums but your study of Anderson's choices when it comes to montage/tracking shots is incredibly well-informed and gives me a deeper appreciation for the artistry as well.
On a similar note, I'm also someone who's paying out of my ass for college rn and this video was the perfect break from tuition stress. Thank you!
I was buying Ginger ale and Werthers at the grocery store and realized what I was becoming; thank you for the dark mirror
There was a great interview with Luke Wilson that came with the Criterion where he said his mom didn’t like his look of sunglasses and heavy hair because you couldn’t see his face, and Luke Wilson said that that was kind of the point. It makes that scene where he takes off all these disguises so much more impactful.
Also yes Fantasic Mr, Fox is the best Wes Anderson and every time I watch it I love it more. The film is so packed full of these tiny moments that don’t affect the plot so much but mean so much for the characters like the scene where Ash plays with the toy train with Kristofferson after realizing how cruel he’d been or the scene where Mrs. Fox says she should’ve never married Mr. Fox, which in any other movie would be the scene where the characters split up but here it’s just a statement of fact and they remain together anyway. This doesn’t have so much to do with what you’re talking about but I can’t help it when talking about this movie.
Also for a film about an affluent family having your main character be named Royal Tenenbaum and having the title refer to all the characters as THE Royal Tenenbaums would seem on the nose but it somehow doesn’t seem so obvious when watching. The film as a whole is interesting because it recognizes the dysfunction found within these families which seem like old fashioned ideas like the Thomas Sutpens or Compsons found in William Faulkner, even though they’re still very much around.
why is the maggie/brother b plot so good?? 11/10, would watch as a mini series
Great video... and I must be some kind of oddball for The Darjeeling Limited to be one of my favourite Anderson flicks. I only learned that it was most people's least favourite in the last few years.
The Darjeeling Limited is not only my favorite Wes Anderson movie but one of my favorite movies hands down. It's beautiful and devastating and empowering. I don't understand the hate.
The Royal Tennenbaums has to be one of my top 5 movies of all time. I can listen to you talk about Wes Anderson films allllll day long
I do appreciate the last part about being unable to engage with his films when you're not in the primary presented demographic in his films. The closest I got was a character whose name and personality were summed up by the film as "Zero", which isn't exactly grounds for automatic attachment.
people who like style more than substance and have no sense of style is his primary demographic
I feel like The Darjeeling Limited always gets short shrift, though I understand why not that many people like it. The same way that Maggie first saw Fantastic Mr. Fox at a formative and impactful time in her life, I first saw Darjeeling during a very tense period in my relationships with my two brothers and my dad. I think, as many (including many here) have pointed out, Wes Anderson's work reaches me because I'm in (or at least on the periphery of) his narrow demographic.
Yeah, I love The Darjeeling Limited. I think it really speaks to the relationship between brothers in such a real way. If you don't have that sort of relationship you probably won't appreciate it as much.
i have a soft spot for it, and i love the soundtrack.
Goddammit, I love Wes Anderson. My first film of his was The Life Aquatic and it remains my favorite movie of all time to this day. It hit me at the perfect time with a sense of humor I had never encountered before and I've been laughing differently ever since.
Rated
The Royal Tenenbaums: The most Wes Anderson movie before Wes Anderson made Wes Anderson movies.
😂
There's something I just noticed. Might not be enough to think of it as a pattern, but it caught my eye:
Stillness is unnatural to you. It's also a marker of privilege. There was also a diatribe against stillness in your Cats video. Stillness as a side effect of oppression.
I don't know what to make of this. I'm just savoring the spoonful of endorphins I got from finding a pattern.
Color me surprised when you were describing going to Chicago on the Amtrak as a kid - I lived in Elgin years ago and my family did this all the time. We would get sodas at the store and a book of crosswords and logic puzzles to pass the time on the train. We even had a “favorite” patron of the Amtrak train as, although he seemed harmless and kept to himself, he also *only* wore men’s one-piece thermal long underwear. All the time.
Wait so the dude was shirtless and shoeless while riding on the train? I didn't know that was allowed... I admire his confidence
@@guy-sl3kr Not shirtless, he was rocking the full button up front onesie game. I cannot remember if he accessorized, but I think he had shoes….
I can't get over how much you sound like an 80's fairy-tale narrator. It's uncanny, and perfectly suited to a Wes Anderson discudsion.
Oh Wow! like a librarian reading a story for a first grade class. Yes, her voice is lovely :)
I'm procrastinating going to buy a milkshake just to watch this video
2:10 - what a lovely little cameo
I love it when camerawork complements the storytelling well. I'm not all into auteur theory but it can distinguish good from bad direction or editing. And thus be the mark of certain geniuses who are especially good at that.
I would also recommend listening to bechdalcast's royal tenenbaums episode. It's a feminist podcast about the bechdal test and I think it has a great discussion about the movie and wes Anderson's world.
Jamie and Caitlin are amazing!!!
@@MaggieMaeFish ❤️❤️
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Taika Waititi's filmography. I find it both consistent and all over the place lol.
I have very personal relationships to Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom, for similar reasons. I always feel awkward talking about sincere analysis and love for Wes Anderson, whose criticisms and satires are oft deserved and justified, but there’s always also a lot of good stuff to unpack.
As The Grand Archpriest of The Church of the Algorithm, I bless this video with a comment.
I love the Fantastic Mr. Fox! The soundtrack was brilliant! I love the little details, like the fact that the toast eating scene was George Clooney actually devouring a plate of toast!
I’ve always loved the general movement (or stillness) of Wes Anderson films, but your analysis has made me want to go back and have a movie marathon! I almost forgot how much I enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel!!
This video really helped to point out to me why I engage with Anderson’s work so well. Thank you
I love how much I agree with you here, even when I disagree on what my favorite Pre- and Post- Roald Dahl Anderson films are (Darjeeling and Moonrise Kingdom). He has such a rich catalogue of films which seem to speak to and answer each other.
The Grand Budapest Hotel just eclipses all of his previous work in my mind. I do love the Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Royal Tenenbaums though.
Anderson's films shaped my adolescence, too. So much so that I've got almost a full sleeve of tattoos from his films. My Margot Tenenbaum tattoo is my favorite. 😆 But seriously, are you and Jared really siblings!? I must know!
Haha nope, just twitter pals 😅
Like so many others, this was helped me understand the appeal of Wes Anderson when I’ve never been able to finish one of his movies myself! It also made me realize, “I heart Huckabees” was probably the equivalent for me at an impressionable crossroads in my life?
I like the quirk. But I’m a working class person of color and don’t relate to anything so I attach myself to the aesthetic.
just found this channel and this is every thing the video essay community is missing love this channel so fucking much
Probably my new favorite video essay. Spectacular.
Honestly I think you're my favorite video essayist, and I've watched... Christ, probably Too Many video essays lmao
They always have an incredibly earnest and intimate quality to the performance and script, and are always very concise and well-phrased. I never get lost or feel left out or disconnected while watching them. Excellent work, looking forward to more stuff!
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly stand watching another Wes Anderson essay, you go and pull this. Well cussing done.
One thing I wanna say because I'm so sick of people fighting for something that doesn't make sense and in the wrong context, As a black individual I never once focused on the "diversity" of his cast or not because its not about that. Its about the characters not their skin color. Trying to force diversity into everything isn't how we are going to get diversity instead, we should be finding those diverse voices ourselves and supporting them. Throwing a black character or 2 into a story isn't going to make it diverse, especially if the person directing doesn't share those same experiences anyway. Diversity isn't just anybody's story to tell
100% agree
Yeah, the thing I find off-putting about so many comments along those lines is, like, do you only engage with art that's "for you?" Is it only art if it shows you your reflection? More people need to make an effort to see themselves in someone's work; that's where you find the sublime -- they were talking to you the whole time.
Edit: And yeah, the point of diversity shouldn't be that Wes Anderson starts making all his characters black, it should be to get people to know who people like Terence Nance or Dee Rees even are, and then find the next one.
@@andrewteague114 I completely agree
@@andrewteague114 I think the argument often comes from a more complicated place than that. It isn’t so much a matter of only being able to engage with something if it’s a reflection of yourself as it is not wanting to be left out.
Marginalized audiences have, more often or not, either been FORCED to engage with art that wasn’t “for them” all their lives, or have been forced to ONLY engage with art that’s “for them”.
Marginalized voices are, well, marginalized, and it’s very troubling to have to either squint at a work to see yourself in it, or reside yourself to pigeonholing your cinematic palate.
Take the infamous Bechdel Test for one. It wasn’t created as a means of determining whether a movie was “feminist” or not, or even as a test with infallible parameters. (If that were the case, Debbie Does Dallas and Attack of the 50 ft. Cheerleader would be hailed as high feminist art). Rather, it was an indictment of how auxiliary women are still treated in the film industry.
Similarly, there’s already a litany of examples historically of communities of color very deeply engaging with works that maybe weren’t made with them in mind as audiences. A good example is the large role that eastern art, like kung fu movies or anime have played in poor black communities. Who’s to say that they can’t also hope or expect similar verisimilitude in a Wes Anderson movie, and be disappointed when it isn’t there?
And while, yeah, maybe just putting a bunch of characters of color into a work isn’t the same thing as representing them properly, (hello Darjeeling Limited) I also don’t think that it’s healthy to respond to such calls for diversity with hostility.
What a lovely coincidence for this video to be uploaded as I'm a bit more than halfway through Wes Anderson's filmography
Yes! Wes's "breakout" moments are my favorites - I love when the characters finally stop talking and decieving and get physcial. Cops chasing Dignan through Hinkley Cold Storage, Richie Bathroom scene, the fight with mace on the Darjeeling Limited, Chas trying to fight Eli Cash after the car crash, the helicopter crash in The Life Aquatic. I love the dialouge, but the most important moments for me are when they stop talking.
it's nice to watch an analysis of a director that doesn't have an obvious problem with women
I wonder how Kubrick would feel knowing a director expanded “Barry Lyndon” into an entire career arc.
And managed to make his movies waaaaaaay less boring than Barry Lyndon was.
Mags, I am almost certain I didn't know you in high school, and I still could have guessed you loved Spider-Man and Wes Anderson films
another great video as always, I always feel like they help me see each film and/or director in new ways and really make me feel like rewatching them
I loved this essay so much. Thank you for putting it in the world.
--I just realized putting really is spelled with two t's and I don't know why this disconcerts me.
I digress...
The style behind Darjeeling LImited was what really got me into Wes Anderson - probably due to my frayed relation with my younger brother, but the Royal Tenenbaums really drove it home. I feel like rewatching every one of his movies now
Up there as a personal favorite of the essays you've done. I'm still in that teenage mindset of escape onto bigger things personally. I don't know if it's entirely comparable to your teen years, but I definitely sympathize with watching movies in the basement quite a bit. Even if that's not all the details.
Also, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a childhood classic for me. I still remember seeing those trailers in the 2nd grade making me excited to watch it. Still consider it a close personal favorite of mine.
I appreciate your loving critique of Anderson.
Wes Anderson is my favourite Filmmaker too. I was first fascinated by his visual style, and then further drawn in by all the rest. My favourite movie of his is "Life Aquatic". A movie about a person with many flaws but one great passion which redeems him... his fascination with aquatic life which he can so brilliantly convey. This homage to Jacques Cousteau hit home for me. I grew up watching his documentaries, which awoke a love for exploration and science.
I have to admit that the "The Royal Tenenbaums", and "Fantastic Mr Fox!" are not at the top of my list of Wes Anderson's movies, but your presentation about them has moved me to give them another look.
Don't know if you seen it, but The Mysterious Benedict Society has got some decent Wes Anderson and Tim Burton vibes. There's also a mini-Maggie in Emmy DeOliveira
Aw man this is a really neat look at Wes Anderson's filmography and how it deepens/reinforces the movies' themes and how they've subtly changed through the years and WAIT THAT WAS JARED GILMAN??
Thank you for encapsulating why I love Wes Anderson so perfectly haha. Also didn't realize I wasn't the only one who doesn't like Darjeeling that much. Asteroid City is by far my favorite and my favorite film of all time.
I adore Wes Anderson. Royal Tenenbaums has always been one of my absolutely favorite movies, as well as GBH and Moonrise.
I think a lot of people are put off by his style, but I love that his films never let you forget that you are watching a film. The obviously skewed/forced perspectives when he pans to something in the distance, or scenes like the janky and almost low-effort chase scene in GBH. The practical effects often charmingly perfunctory, and combined with his character writing, his films just illustrate the joy of making movies while also producing incredible results.
His work has aged well, and I can't really say that about a lot of writer/directors I've liked throughout my life.
I love wes anderson, hes my favorite director, his style is so unique, its hard not to love
Easily my favorite film analysis channel on UA-cam. Proud Patron!!!
That Panasonic phone hung in our kitchen for decades. Seeing it, along with the critique of a depiction of an unhappy family, has made me remember why I enjoy my hermitage.
So nice, I liked it twice!
Maggie, I love you. Thank you for this.
Just as Wes Anderson does, you have a very distinct and unique style! Love your videos!
Love Wes’ work! Excited to catch this premiere!
Amazing video as always so awesome seeing Jared Gilman in this.
I always found The Darjeeling Limited to be one of my favorites, maybe because of train travel, i grew up riding the Amtrak from Portland to Minot every summer by myself, i rode other routes as well that were long distance, i think if you traveled by train a lot, one might appreciate the movie more, maybe its just bringing back nostalgia for me.
I watched my first Wes Anderson film this year - The Great Budapest Hotel. It was perfect. I couldn't have wanted for anything else. Wes Anderson is an (yes, the dreaded word) auteur.
The colors for your set look especially nice in this one. Like a Mary Cassatt painting.
Dawww thanks Natasha!!!
I don't have anything interesting to add, I just thoroughly enjoyed this.
Love it. Though I will say for me as a huge Wes fan, Darjeeling Limited is in my top 3 where as FMF is in my bottom 3. I think Wes is great at showing that people don't really change. We are who we are, but realistically we can all find an understanding of each other's differences and hopefully that appreciation will make us better people. Fantastic Mr Fox is a bit to story by numbers character arc and feels like the style is parodying his previous movies cinematography(which it is because he didn't direct the scenes as much as just approve them afterwards).
why do people dislike darjeeling? it's the first wes film i saw, maybe i've rose tinted it. but i rewatched it quite recently and hey, still love it.
It's really good. Doesn't deserve to be overlooked. It's near the top of the list for me, right beneath The Royal Tenenbaums.
@Isabella Woods ah ok, fair enough. tho I think most characters were ancillary to the brothers, I can understand the sentiment
@Isabella Woods That's seems like a racist view of the movie. The Indian characters were definitely not props. And they have a problem with Anglo characters visiting another country?
@Isabella Woods @Isabella Woods I don't know why that's funny. It's really a pretty ignorant take. One of Wes Andersons biggest influence is Satyajit Ray, and it's clear he has a deep respect for Indian culture. It seemed to me he had a personal story of family to tell, and India was the back drop. So yeah, the Indian characters were not at the fore front, but they were far from props or caricatures, such as in Sofia Coppolas Lost in Translation. I thought he showed reverence towards the culture as an outsider without arrogantly assuming to be able to write authentic Indian experiences.
@Isabella Woods I mean, what white writer can write for non-white characters in a way that is rooted in a culture they don't come from? None *should* be expected to... buut ykno, euro-centrism and all.
Either way, the film is focused on three silly, wealthy white tourists and the perspective matches that. I get the feeling that he didn't try to focus on the Indian people in it because, well, how could he? Further, what is the "proper" way to write for people from another background? Who arbitrates what is proper? Who speaks for Indians? Rhetorical, one way is you hire writers from that background... but then it wouldn't be about those brothers, it would be, idk, about somewhat rural Indians in the service industry dealing with entitled Americans. Another way to handle it is to not have any ethnicities in mind when writing characters, hire whoever is best for the role (disregarding casting biases entrenching the industry). The Indian characters in Darjeeling with speaking roles just behave, well, like people. EG: you brought a snake on my train, get off of my train. That is imo the only appropriate way for one to write for people of different backgrounds (Darjeeling credits three writers): don't try, because you can't.
That said, I agree there are some issues with the representations in Darjeeling as far as background, but sort of middling, paltry even, problems - more knowingly-negligent because it is more hurtful or damaging to pretend you can represent people from another culture (insert Apu as an extreme example).
Also worth remembering that it's usually white western people who complain about these things, rather than the people represented. Often people of the group can enjoy the representations if they're not outright hurtful, because it's better to be seen than ignored, especially if the representation is less as "the Indian characters" and more as, say "a train conductor." Sure, it's not perfect, but it's something.
source: grew up as a white minority. that's about it lol, definitely biased opinions. thanks for the pleasant, measured responses :)
oh oh quick edit, I would argue that every character, but for the brothers, is used as a prop - including their mother.
my love for wes' films has waned somewhat in recent years but i can still watch one every now and then
you're the only youtuber i know who titles their video essays the way ppl title actual essays
Gonna be real, this video convinced me to watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox and uh... that movie is not only stunningly visually beautiful, it's full of heart and love and warmth and silliness and I love it. It's phenomenal. Thanks Maggie!
I really liked Bottle Rocket. More so than his later, much more loved, films. Ah well. Great breakdown!
This is the first video you've made that I find myself unable to relate to, on account of finding everything about Wes Anderson's movies incredibly off-putting. That being said, you're just so good at what you do that I still found it an informative and highly entertaining watch. I guess what I'm saying is...I heard commenting is good for analytics, so I figured I should express my enjoyment in one. Thanks for all the work you share with us!
I remember when fantastic Mr. Fox came out when I was younger and I adored it, but my dad (who has always had a love hate relationship with Wes Anderson films) was like....."you're 12 if you like this, thats cool.....but why?" And I could never give an answer other than "it's charming!" You have out exactly what I always wanted to tell my dad into words. This story is touching, the characters are flawed but you love them anyway, these animated clay and fur covered beautifully sculpted blobs feel more in line with real life and the nature of family than most films I've ever seen. It also to me is one of those films that says "people (or in this case, animals) aren't perfect, but they can be good" which as an idealist is always something that has resonated with me.
You touching on the lack of the diversity is also really good. I'm a girl who will be represented in appearance frequently on screen. It's always important to acknowledge that's not the reality for everyone, and why it should be
This was a treat. Thank you Maggie!
when i was younger ritchie's arc was always the most powerful, but now i think that chas' arc is my favorite and makes me cry the most
Hey Maggie it’s so nice to see you in a new video !
What's the name of the music or the band you used in this vid's chapter break at 14:42? And great vid! Royal Tannenbaums is forever my favorite Anderson film.
Wes Anderson was so much to me in middle school, very influential to me aesthetically and emotionally, so I know this’ll be a good one.
Everytime I watch fantastic Mr fox I feel nostalgic for when I use to go to my grandma's house to play and hang out with her.
Anything that has Wes Anderson in it, I click.
I have never be able to get through the The Royal Tenenbaums and I don't think I'm ever gonna. But, it was a nice analysis all the same.
Really enjoyed this! You caught a ton of stuff that I never picked up even after multiple viewings. I saw the premiere of The French Dispatch at Cannes and will be excited to hear what you think of it when it’s released in the US.
The dramatic look to the phone when it rang gave me life
I’m so glad that a lot of people in this comments love Darjeeling Limited as much as I do